


Codename

by logic_maybe



Category: Naruto
Genre: M/M, Smart Uzumaki Naruto, Swearing, a lot of it, also he's in anbu, and blood, and ptsd, i have no idea what to put in the tags, im depressed so like, like a lot, sasuke is super ooc, trauma also, tw for violence, yeah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-21
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:50:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,865
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20939501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/logic_maybe/pseuds/logic_maybe
Summary: He screamed, a loud, horrible scream. He saw flashes, a knife digging through his tattoed stomach, a hand around his throat. He smelled copper and salt. He didn’t know if the liquid running down his cheeks was blood or tears.He collapsed, the ground swallowing him like he had been there for years. He felt like the grass was holding hostage, the memories flashing in front of him, reliving that day.





	1. Prologue: The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is a fic that I originally wrote probably a year and a half ago and haven't updated in a long time. I'm sad that I haven't because I really do love this story a lot but I have depression lmao. So I'm rewriting it and moving it to here so it can be higher quality lol.

His feet batted against the ground in a flurry of panic and fear. He was afraid of him, the stranger that wanted to hurt him.

_ Run _ , the voice said.  _ Faster, child, faster _ .

So he did, he pushed himself past his limits. He could hear the man calling to him. Calling him names, throwing things. 

He was big, and slow. Naruto had the advantage, he knew. He was small and fast; agile. So he manoeuvered his was around large rocks and through the forest, between buildings with alleys too small for him to slip past comfortably. He was getting away, but he knew it wouldn’t last. His stamina was high, but not strong enough, he would tire soon, he knew.

_ Child, I am doing all I can for you. You are safe with me _ , the voice said in a low hum. He was comforted, temporarily. He could feel the heat of the beast’s chakra in his stomach, slowly spreading through his body like a warm bath. He ran through the village until he found himself on the outskirts of town. Moonlight shone through tree leaves, leaving him with minimal view, but he navigated his way through with relative ease. This was not his first time in these woods. He ducked past low branches and dove through thorny bushes, until he made his way into a large clearing. He froze.

_ No! _ The voice yelled.  _ Turn back, run. You have to  _ go _ !  _ It was no use. Naruto was glued to the spot, staring at the middle of the clearing, fear rooting him to the ground.  _ It _ happened here. He didn’t want to remember, but he did. His heart beat accelerated with his breathing, his hands shot up to his face and his nails dug through the tan skin under his eyes. He screamed, a loud, horrible scream. He saw flashes, a knife digging through his tattoed stomach, a hand around his throat. He smelled copper and salt. He didn’t know if the liquid running down his cheeks was blood or tears.

He collapsed, the ground swallowing him like he had been there for years. He felt like the grass was holding him hostage, forcing him to watch the memories of  _ that day _ . He was sobbing, loud and broken, but it stopped when he felt a sharp sting of pain across his throat. Naruto’s body lurched upwards, he grasped at his throat, a sea of red pouring down his chest and clothes, thick and sticky. It clotted around his fingers as he grasped his neck, trying desperately to prevent it from leaving his body, to no avail. Blood trickled into his throat and he let out a disgusting gargled scream, liquid ran down his chin as he coughed and sputtered, crying desperately for someone to help him. He was too young to die. Someone kicked his side, violently, and he realized what had happened. The man had caught up to him.

“You stupid, filthy brat,” he yelled, and grabbed him by his soaked shirt collar. The man lifted him up to eye level, and spat in his face. “You’re a bloody murderer. To think that Lord lets you walk around the village like you did nothing. You sack of shit, I’m going to kill you, asshole.”

He gargled weakly, the edges of his vision were getting blurrier and blurrier by the second. The voice was shouting in his head to stay awake, but he was getting so.. Tired. His vision faded to black, and his mind felt empty, he was comfortable and relaxed. His body no longer felt pain, and he sighed gently, relaxing into the cloud of warmth that was enveloping him. He was okay now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Twitter: Logic_Maybe  
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CypherDraws


	2. Into the Woods

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Another nightmare?”
> 
> Naruto sighed, it was an inevitable question. “Yeah.”
> 
> “That’s the third one this week.”
> 
> “I know.”

Naruto jolted awake, his skin drenched in cold sweat. He drew in sharp breaths, trying his best to calm himself. He hated remembering. He didn’t want to sleep again.

He padded his way silently to the kitchen and grabbed a bag of shredded cheese from the kitchen, shoving a couple handfuls into his mouth. He fingered the jagged scar around his throat contemplatively, remembering that night in the clearing. The memories didn’t hurt as much anymore, and for that he was grateful… But they still  _ scared him _ .

“You alright?” A voice asked, and he jumped.

“Kami,” he said, grasping the counter. He wasn’t paying enough attention. “You scared me.” Kakashi snorted and made his way towards him, flicking him in the ear. “Ow! Dude!” Kakashi laughed again, obnoxiously. “How did you hear me anyway,” Naruto said, frowning.

“Listen,” he said. “You might be a master of stealth, but this house is fucking ancient. You can hear the floors creak across the goddamn village.” His visible features hardened slightly. “Another nightmare?”

Naruto sighed, it was an inevitable question. “Yeah.”

“That’s the third one this week.”

“I know.”

“You need to see someone.” Naruto glared at him sharply, eyes like fire.

“Out of the question,” he said, his voice was sharp.

“Look, I know what happened last time, but I found-

“I said-” He walked up to Kakashi. “- Out. Of. The. Question. Not happening. I don’t trust these people.”

Kakashi sighed. He knew it was fruitless to attempt to help Naruto. He was stuck in a mindless loop of suffering. It came with any ninja. The therapy stigma among high ranking fighters was so bad that not even Kakashi was able to see someone without getting ridiculed by his peers. “I know, kid.” He grabbed a glass from the cupboard and filled it with water. “If you’re not going back to sleep, at least go for a walk or something. You have a mission briefing in a few hours.”

“Yeah.” He watched Kakashi retreat back to his room, and sat on the couch, staring at a spec on the wall.

He felt… empty. He tried to remember what happened after the memory, but the space in his head was blank. He knew the story: Kakashi had come upon his body, he was nearly dead, but he was rushed to emerge. No one wanted to help him, so Kakashi had to save him himself. Naruto made a miraculous recovery, somehow. He knew the story, and yet he doesn’t remember it. There were gaps in his memory. Almost everywhere. It bothered him. He never remembered the good things. Only the bad. The recoveries were gone, the love from Kakashi and Hiruzen were gone, but the pain, the loss, the torture; they were all there and he  _ didn’t know why _ . So he asked again.

‘Where are they?’

_ I don’t know kid _ , it said.  _ I wish I could tell you. _

He shoveled another handful of cheese into his mouth, pondering. He sighed, threw the cheese back into the fridge, and headed out the door. He wanted to go through the woods.

\---

He liked the trails a lot. They were neat and well kempt. He liked that they brought him where he wanted to go. Which was anywhere, really. He was having a bad day. His empty house was bearing down on him. He could hear wisps of his family. Flitting by; reminding him to work on his throwing, his jutsu, to clean the house. He didn’t want to deal with it tonight. He didn’t know that his father would bear down on him, even past his death.

He kicked a pebble and it flew across the trail. Looking up, he could see he’d arrived at his destination. The small clearing with sweet smelling grass that seemed to draw him in every time he went. He entered, eyes closed, and drawing in a long breath. He was instantly bombarded with the sensations of his past.  _ This place _ . He smiled. It was  _ his _ . 

When he opened them, he was surprised. On the far edge of the clearing, was a boy. His age, he suspected. But he was different. He didn’t know why, but he could tell.

“Hello?” The boy didn’t answer, and he was confused. “Hey are you okay?” He asked, stepping forward. The boy flinched, swore, and stepped back into the forest, cloaked by the dark.

He didn’t know who he was, he was scared.

He didn’t know what came over him, but his feet brought him through, and past the clearing, following the trail of broken branches to see who the mystery boy was.

\---

Naruto swore loudly. He got caught.He shouldn’t have been there in the first place. He glanced over his shoulder to see if he was being followed. No one. His pace slowed and his breathing evened out. He was okay.

He continued to walk, avoiding the trails, and dodging any stray branches. He wasn’t tired, but he didn’t want to be awake anymore. He didn;t even know why he went back. It was instinctual, really. Muscle memory. He would go into the forest, walk through, and end up there. He couldn’t control it, and it bothered him. He hated it there. He didn’t even like going through the forest, his body just told him what to do and he followed without question.

He heard the snap of a twig and spun around, his hand flying to his weapons pouch. “Who’s there?” He asked, his tone like ice. Another twig snapped.  _ To the left, but don’t throw _ , the voice told him. Naruto turned left and sped forward until he made contact, pinning whatever he grasped to the tree. It was the kid from the clearing. “What the hell do you want, bastard?” He pressed a kunai to his throat.

“Stop, hey!” The boy protested, out of breath. “I just got curious!” He said. “Kami, you’re so fast.”

Naruto tensed, he knew who this kid was. “Listen  _ Uchiha _ ,” he spat. “You’d do well to stay out of that spot. It’s dangerous.” And he darted away, leaving Sasuke bewildered, and confused.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Listen, I'm going to put so much into the Kakashi/Naruto sibling relationship and Naruto's cheese habits than anything else in this story. Be prepared.
> 
> Twitter: Logic_Maybe  
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CypherDraws


	3. Patterns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Anyways, it’s not like it matters. You barely interact with him either way.”
> 
> “I’ve heard rumours, dumbass.” He pulled the shredded cheese out. 
> 
> “Oh yeah right because you can trust rumours.” Kakashi rolled his eyes.
> 
> “You can when they come from Tenko.” And shoveled several handfuls in his mouth.

He slammed the door behind him, panting hard. The beginnings of sunlight were shining through the closed curtains, illuminating Kakashi standing in the middle of the living room, a stupid look on his face.

“What happened?”

“The Uchiha kid was there,” Naruto replied heading to the kitchen and pulling the door open from the fridge so brusquely that it came off its hinges. “Fuck.”

“You’re paying for that,” Kakashi said, bemused. “Anyways, it’s not like it matters. You barely interact with him either way.”

“I’ve heard rumours, dumbass.” He pulled the shredded cheese out.

“Oh yeah right because you can trust rumours.” Kakashi rolled his eyes.

“You can when they come from Tenko.” And shoveled several handfuls in his mouth.

“Well shit, dude,” Kakashi said, making feeble swings at the bag of cheese. “What’d he say?”

“Apparently the mission I’m being briefed on is an internal one.”

“So… What?”

“There’s a mole, stupid,” he said. “Apparently -stop it’s my cheese-” he pulled the bag out of Kakashi’s reach. “Apparently a lot of young kids- academy kids- have been caught trying to leave the village.” Kakashi stilled.

“You don’t mean-”

“One of the chuunin teachers has been influencing children to run away and join some army or something, yeah.”

“Well shit.”

“Yeah.” 

“So…” he hesitated. “Your mission would be to?”

“Infiltrate? gather intel? I’m not certain though.” He shoved the cheese back in the fridge. “In any case, having seen Uchiha jeopardizes my position as a potential undercover operative.”

Kakashi nodded. “Yeah that might be a bit of an issue.”

“Anyways, I gotta head out; my mission briefing is in an hour,” he opened the curtains and took a look out the window. “Yeah, it’s getting close to day I should leave before they come looking for me. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah.”

\---

Naruto watched as groggy ninja slinked through the village’s dirt paths, inevitably coming back from long-term missions. He watched as early risers came and opened up their shops, and he enjoyed the smell of fresh food that wafted through the air. He liked this time, he didn’t have to deal with many people, save for some whispers and a couple small pebbles. He could take those, they didn’t trigger anything for him, not usually.

He hurried through the double doors of the tower, avoiding the perky receptionist and headed quickly up the steps.

“Naruto-kun,” Lord greeted with a warm smile. “It’s nice to see you. How are you this morning?”

“Fine,” he replied, antsy to get his briefing.

“Good, well, as promised.” He held out a thick file. “Your mission will be to go undercover and gather intel, as you may have heard from Tenko.” He smiled wryly, and Naruto chuckled. “We suspect there might be someone influencing the younger generation of ninja in the village. An intriguing number of them have been caught by border patrol leaving the village with packed bags. We’re concerned for the children’s welfare.” He paused, clenching his fingers. “We need you to get as much information as possible and once condemning evidence has been found-” he hesitated, a grim look in his eye. “We want you to take them out.”

Naruto nodded, crisp. “When do I start?”

“Tomorrow.”

“Yes, Sir.” And he left swiftly through the window. 

He leapt over roof gaps, avoided main streets and ducked through alleyways, determined to make it home as soon as possible. He could hear someone following him, a significantly slower pace, mind you, but still, he panicked. He didn’t like the feeling, though his senses told him it was merely a child. 

He tripped.  _ Fuck _ he tripped there was someone following him and he tripped over some  _ stupid rock _ . The child grabbed him and pulled him up, Naruto tried to get away.

“You!” But he was too slow, he had already grabbed his wrist, holding tight. Naruto began panicking.  _ No _ this was  _ not _ how his day was supposed to be. “WHy were you in the forest this morning? Why did you attack me?” he was screaming, and Naruto did not like that

He wrenched his hand away, fighting off the gasps coming through his windpipe. His chest tightened, and he could feel his airways sealing. The child, who he could now see to be Sasuke, came closer to him and he fell to the ground once again. “H-heyhey hey stop hey- let me go!” His breathing quickened and he could see his nightmares flashing before his eyes, loosely aware of the situation.

“What’s wrong with you?”

“Too loud-” he gasped out “Sh-shut up you’re being too loud.”

“What are you talking about, idiot?”

“Hey look! He’s over there!”

He swore loudly. “Get out of here, you stupid idiot!” His eyes were wild, almost feral, tinges of red seeped through and the whisker marks of his tan cheeks ran darker, almost real, almost tangible. Sasuke reached to touch them but he was stopped by sharp cries of fury. He looked back to see a small mob forming.

“Wh-what’s happening? Why are they yelling at you?” Naruto peered around him and swore. Loudly.

“ _ Leave _ ,” he spat, and disappeared in a crowd of smoke. Uchiha was left there, once again, confused, and having to deal with a mob of psychos.

\---

Naruto reappeared in the house, and immediately collapsed to the ground, his chest unbelievably tight. He couldn’t breathe, couldn’t breathe _ , couldn’t breathe _ . His hand clutched his chest, grabbing a fistful of his shirt and nails digging into his skin. His breath came out in sharp pants, uneven. His throat burned and he could feel water running down his cheeks. Distantly he could hear thudding footsteps and a hand on his shoulder. Someone was speaking to him but he couldn’t hear them.

On the outside, Kakashi struggled to keep himself calm as he calmed Naruto. He couldn’t focus on himself right now, he knew. “Naruto,” he said, thrusting his hand in front of his face. “I need you to take my hand. Do you think you can do that?”

Naruto, vaguely aware, was only able to weakly grasp it, and then  _ squeeze _ . 

Kakashi swore, but continued. “Your name is Uzumaki Naruto, you’re ten years old, you like walking in the forest, you’re a gentle person, you like ramen a lot,” he continued on like this for quite some time, listing off facts about Naruto that he knew to be true until Naruto eventually began saying it too.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I’m ten years old, I like ramen a lot-” His breathing evened slowly, the hand that wasn’t occupied was stuck in a tight fist, Blood seeped from half-moon crescents left by his sharper-than-usual nails, but it slowed ever so slightly as the protective spirit left his body.

After a while, Naruto’s breathing had calmed completely, though his hand were having trouble releasing tension. He had clenched them too hard.

“Are you okay?”

“Uchiha,” he panted out. “He followed me and he-he grabbed my wrist, I didn’t know who he was. Thought he was going to hurt me.”

“Fuck if I ever see him-”

“I’m fine,” Naruto said, firm as he could. Kakashi didn’t believe him. “I said I’m fine. I just need some food.”

Kakashi sighed, but stood up to make something to eat. “Nachos?” He asked. “There’s just about enough cheese, I think.” A wry smile splayed on his lips. Naruto gave him the finger, but nodded.

“Okay, consider it done.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the cheese is back.
> 
> twitter: Logic_Maybe  
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/CypherDraws


End file.
